darkmoonfairefandomcom-20200215-history
Paxton Stormhammer
A dwarf sits in the corner of the Ethereal Tavern. dressed in black and smelling of the fresh outdoors. A wolf lays under the table and sappears to sleep, but is 110% awaire of hi dwarf companion and those that come up to speak to him. Paxton inhales a massive draw on his simple pipe and belches the noxious smell of Northrend baccy into the bar. Yalis Karlstorm turns to the dwarf and says, "Why do you always smoke that rubbish? Here this stuff smells better and has a bigger kick. Just don't let the Marshals catch you smoking it in Stormwind, its band here!" Yalis winks as he tosses a small leather pouch to Paxton. Appearance For a Dwarf, Paxton is very handsome. Due to his sheltered upbringing as a young dwarf, he does not have the tell tale weathered look of his race due to hard work mining and beside hot forges, or just being out side loads. He has learned to use specific manly cosmetics to take care of himself and makeup and prosthetics for disguises. Soft hands, white white teeth, perfectly groomed hair and a smell of clean laundry hanging out in the spring rain surrounds this dwarf, unless he is in disguise! Paxton always wears clothes that cover him completely from the neck down, as he has a full body tattoo of beautifully interlaced thorns. Black in colour these thorns are so perfectly drawn that you may become engrossed in watching them spiral around his body. Look at them long enough and you could swear that they were moving. Background Paxton was born to a very wealthy and industrious Dwarf Family. The Stormhammers, are owners of some of the largest and deepest mining operations. They are also philanthropists and have funded many dwarven expeditions all over the world. However this is just the front that his family launders vast amount of gold through. The Stormhammers' are the current head family of the sinister dwarven crime syndicate. Little is known about them as they rarely surface, however they are known to exist and may even have some connection with the Dark Iron Dwarves. Paxton was born into this family and for many years kept out of the cold and away from the mines. Being an industrial prince and heir to a vast fortune amassed through the ages by his family, he was kept out of the family's real business until he was old enough to understand. He was educated by the greatest teachers brought in specifically to educate Paxton in business, languages, science and engineering. Paxton did not like the science and engineering part of his upbringing as he was far more creative rather than scientific. As a result of this he was taken on as an apprentice by Blake Thornton a legendary Dwarf Hunter. Blake Thornton taught all the skills necessary for Paxton to live off the land, to identify and track beast and other creatures in most environments, and the benefit of camouflage and subterfuge if he was stalking more tenacious quarry. By the time he graduated from apprentice, Paxton was Blake's greatest pupil ever. Money well spent by his family. Although Paxton spent many years learning from Blake, never for over a decade entering into a house or perminant shelter, he managed to avoid the aging look that most dwarf men get from hard work and a lifestyle of living in harsh environments. Paxton knew from his sheltered youth what creams and potions to take and use to keep his skin youthful. Now with his knowledge of plants from living off the land, he also knew how to make them. After he graduated to a Hunter in his own right, Paxton returned home to have his 40th birthday party. The Age of forty is like a humans 21st birthday. It is a right of passage where most consider you an adult. This is where Paxton was initiated into the other side of his family business. He was shocked. Never did he think his family was into such nefarious dealings. Everything including, extortion, prostitution, drug running, and even assassination, were all on the cards for the Stormhammer Crime Family. Paxton did not understand why they did these things. He told his parents that all being fair in the world that at this particular time he could not take his place as the heir to the family business. Explaining that before he could do so, in good conscious, had to understand the impact at the grassroots level that his family's actions had on ordinary people. He packed his hunters bags and left for the wilds. During this time he learned how to use the skins of the creatures he hunted to make beautiful garment and armour. He sold these at local markets and amassed a small fortune. With this money he managed to purchase a modest apartment in Stormwind. From here he could venture forth to see the what issues and effects a crime family has on the people. He allowed himself to be mugged on many an occasion, each time utilising a different disguise. He learned all the faces of the notorious thieves and criminals of Stormwind. He was about to put the second phase of his plan into motion, joining a gang of criminals, when the Orcs came. Stormwind was under siege by the largest force that Paxton had ever seen. For days the Orcs bombarded the city. People left in en mass, thousands of refugees fled north away from the fighting. Only the soldiers of the Guard and the fighting monks of the cathedral remained with a handful of militia. Paxton remained to help a militia which several of his thief acquaintances had joined. When the Horde of Orcs and Trolls breached the gates, fierce street to street and house to house fight broke out. Those civilians that remained were massacred Paxton and his friends ran guerrilla hit and run tactics. Constantly keeping the Orcs harrased. They were not used to this sort of fighting, and preferred the meeting of massive armies. Paxton eventually left Stormwind due to sheer mass of numbers. No longer would his hit and run tactic work within the confines of the city. He need more space to operate. The orcs chased the refugees north. The Valiant Human forces kept the main bulk of the Horde engaged, this at least slowed them down. The militias, operating with their unorthodox tactics made a huge impact in allowing the refugees to reach the safety of Lordaeron. An alliance of Elves Dwarves Humans and gnomes was formed and after massing forces over a few years were ready to march south to retake the human lands. During this preparation time, it was again the militias that kept the Orcs and Trolls engaged elsewhere. Popping up on their flanks, behind them and even sometime in the middle of their encampments! All in all it was these individuals that were true heroes of the Alliance. After Stormwind was retaken, Paxton returned to the wilds for a few years in order to rest from the battles that he had been fighting. It was around this time that he started searching for an animal companion. Years past before he met a creature that found him worthy of kinship. Paxton's small and intimate camp was a semipermanent fixture. He had been using it for about four years. It was his 100th Birthday and he lit a small candle to celebrate this mile stone. Then he heard it. A cry of pain and anguish that made his blood curdle. This was not a cry of a human or similar bi-pedal race. This was the cry of a wild animal in pain and with a broken heart. He left his camp and followed the sound until he met a very badly wounded wolf. She was lying amongst her dead pups. Bleeding badly with her eye missing and back legs broken, she turned and was instantly comforted by the presence of Paxton. He had a way with wild creatures after all. Paxton knew that this wolf would not live through the night. He thought it best to take her back to his camp to make her last hours more comfortable. He tried to lift her and was surprised to see one pup still alive. The wolf took a final look at her only living pup and nudge him towards Paxton, and with a look of love that only a wolf has she slipped away into the endless sleep. The dwarf hunter now had a new responsibility. Taking care of this wolf pup. He pulled the eye of the dead wolf closed and buried her deep so the other wild creatures would not feast on her or her pups. He said a prayer by her grave and mad a promise to always care for his new companion He named the wolf deefor, and within a couple of years was fully grown, incredibly strong and seriously loyal to Paxton. The two friends were inseparable. Countless times they saved each other from death and disaster. It was round about this time that Paxton met a man named Rewon. He was on a similar path within the criminal fraternity of Stormwind as Paxton was about to start before the war with the orcs. He and Rewon had many an adventure and even had a hand in bringing down a nasty dark lord called Ning. It was not long after the opening of Paxton's Favorite drinking hole, The Ethereal Tavern, that Rewon vanished, presumed dead. Although Paxton searched long and hard for his friend, he never did find him. However due to Rewon being a manager in the tavern, he became good friends with Yalis Karlstorm the owner of the bar. Yalis recognised the wisdom and natural leadership of the dwarf. His years leading the small band of militia during the Orc wars had paid off. Also his knowledge of living off the land prepared him for the next major position he was about to take. Yalis was financing a militia of sorts to help protect the mountainous Redridge region, where the old barkeep had a house. He immediately thought that Paxton was the perfect individual for the position of Ranger General. Paxton willingly took the position, recruited and trained around 10 rangers to his very high standards. One of the first time they were out on patrol they were ambushed and all bar three were killed, Paxton being the only to escape. The other two rangers that escaped death were taken prisoner by the Orcs and taken back to a camp in the north of Redridge. Paxton planned and executed a rescue plan standing his ground against around 30 Orcs who fell to the deadly accuracy of his Rangers Bow. He finished off the last few orcs in a flurry of well practice moves he used to disable large beasts but keep them alive. After he untied his fellow Rangers, he interrogated the only orc left alive. HE learned from the Orc that The Rangers were betrayed by a resident of Lakeshire. The Orc gave no names before he passed away, but made it clear that his leader had paid handsomely for the information of the route of the first en mass patrol of the Rangers. The Orcs of Blackrock wanted to make an example of the privately funded force born out of the lack of support Lakeshire was receiving from Stormwind. Paxton allowed the rumour of the demise of the Rangers to perpetuate, giving him the flexibility to investigate the traitorous individual that betrayed them. He disguised himself in various personalities and used his natural ability to gain the trust of others to find out the individual responsible for the massacre of the Rangers. He eventually caught up with the traitor, kidnapped him, and took him into the burning steps North of Redridge. There he exacted a revenge that his family would have been proud of. He staked out the man responsible in a hug shadeless open space. There he cut the eyelids from his victim. And watched from a distance as the fire elementals tortured him and the Dragon kin and other creature came to feast on him. Satisfied that he had done the right thing, he set about reforming the Redridge Rangers. Still today they are not at full strength, with just a handful of quality men and women performing the duties required. Paxton believed that a slow recruitment process to gain quality individuals to train as Rangers t be better than a mass of cannon fodder. Personality Firm and funloving, proffessional and dedicated. Give this man a task and he wil see it through to the end. See also Category:Characters